The Port is a seasonal ice cream pop-up operating out of
Grain Curd & Bean
on
Dundas West
. This shop is pretty much the epitome of no frills — cash only, cup or cone, and not a syrup or sprinkle to be found. But it's serving some of the best ice cream in Toronto, with the one and only
Greg's
as its main supplier.

Dawn is the one to thank for bringing Roasted Marshmallow and Guinness over to the west end, and I catch up with her at the little counter in the back of GC&B.

"When I came up with the idea," she says, referring back to two years ago when The Port operated out of
Zoots Cafe
, "there wasn't really any ice cream in the area."

Now, of course, there's
Eagles Nest
and
The Arrow
just down the road, to name a couple. "I was only there for one year," Dawn says about her time at Zoots. "So when it closed down, I started looking for somewhere else. I knew Mike, so it seemed like a good move.

Mike Wdowiak has operated GC&B on Dundas West for the past few years, and he lingers about the counter as Dawn continues to relay her Dundas West bio. "I actually used to own a video shop here," she says. "But obviously, I could see where that was going so I decided to go into ice cream.

The Port is now in its second season, opened during the May long weekend and expecting to stick around through September. The spread consists of a steadfast eight flavours (though different varieties are switched out occasionally) with Greg's Guinness, Roasted Marshmallow, Vanilla, and Lemon Meringue among the options holding strong.

Dawn says she occasionally has cookies in from
Sarah's Wooden Spoon
, which can be used to make ice cream sandwiches ($4.00), though the typical choice is between one scoop ($3.25), one and a half ($4.00) or two ($5.50). So, while sundae-enthusiasts may be out of luck, The Port knows a scoop of Greg's is just enough on its own.